Comparison of current (as of Nov. 15, 2014) sequencing platforms. PCR: polymerase chain reaction, SS: sequencing by synthesis, SL: sequencing by ligation, SH: sequencing by hybridization, and SE: sequencing by expansion.
Platform
Biochemistry/ biotechnology
Amplification
Throughput
Reads per run
Read length (bp)
Seq run time
Error rate (%)
Machine cost 1000
Cost per run
Cost per unit data
Sanger (Applied Biosystems 3730xl)
Dideoxynucleotide termination of PCR
PCR
0.06 Mb
9600
1000
2 hrs
0.1
$100
$100
$8,000–$10,000/Gb
454 GS+
Bioluminescence on nucleotide incorporation
Emulsion PCR
70 Mb
70 k100 k
700
18 hours
<1.0
$125
$1,000
$28.50/Gb
454 GS FLX+
Bioluminescence on nucleotide incorporation
Emulsion PCR
700 Mb
1 M
1000
23 hours
<1.0
$500
$6,000
$8.50/Gb
MiSeq
Cleavage of 3′-O-azidomethyl reversible terminator and fluorescent tag on nucleotide incorporation
SS
15 Gb
25 M
2W300
555 hrs
0.1
$125
$1.4K
$93/Gb
HiSeq X Ten
Cleavage of 3′-O-azidomethyl reversible terminator and fluorescent tag on nucleotide incorporation
SS
1000 Gb
4000 M
2W125
7 hrs6 d
0.1
$1,000
$12K
$7/Gb
NextSeq 500
Cleavage of 3′-O-azidomethyl reversible terminator and fluorescent tag on nucleotide incorporation
SS
129 Gb
400 M
2W150
2629 hrs
0.1
$250
$4K
$33/Gb
SOLiD 5500xl
Ligation of octamer oligonucleotide and cleavage of fluorescent tag
SL
180 Gb
2.8 B
2W60
150 hrs
0.01
$595
$10K
$9/Gb
Ion Proton I
Proton sensing by pH change
SS
10 Gb
4080 M
200
24 hrs
1.0
$149
$1K
$100/Gb
Ion PGM 318
Proton sensing by pH change
SS
2 Gb
5 M
400
7.3 hrs
1.0
$52
$750
$350/Gb
Polonator G.007
Cleavage of 3′-ONH2 reversible terminator and fluorescent tag on nucleotide incorporation